


getting what you need in a roundabout way

by easybakedoodles (Madrugada98)



Series: a tale of too many wardens because i want everyone to be happy and heres how [7]
Category: Dragon Age (Video Games), Dragon Age II
Genre: its really just them like interacting with the hawkes, ok i kno i tagged with Male Amell/Anders but im sorry this is not really a shippy fic
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-07-18
Updated: 2019-07-18
Packaged: 2020-07-08 05:26:58
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,833
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19864237
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Madrugada98/pseuds/easybakedoodles
Summary: (They get down to the clinic and inside they see Anders helping a lil kid out with tristan like talking to other patients and stuff but stops at the sight of these three imposing folks and a dwarf)-My notes from this AU





	getting what you need in a roundabout way

Carver honestly wasn’t expecting much when Lirene told them the clinic was in Darktown, he figured it had to be shoddy of course, but when they got there, he understood why so many people tried to stop them. The place was full of sick and elderly folks, all coughing and stewing in filth around them, what was more surprising was that not all of them were Ferelden refugees either. Some of them were definitely Kirkwallers, which amazed Carver considering he knew exactly how most Kirkwallers felt about the refugees who came after the Blight.

Ant almost stopped halfway through, looking at those around them, looking like he might just roll up his sleeves and start casting and entirely blow their cover. Carver knew that as soon as Antony stopped, so would Bethany, and they’d never get their work done. Doing his job as a little brother best, he shoved Ant with his shoulder, jarring the oldest Hawke sibling out of whatever funk he was about to fall in. Varric chuckled at the two brothers, before following behind as they approached the back of the makeshift clinic.

Carver could see the tell tale glow of magic, though this seemed more experienced than any of the minor healing spells their father had taught his siblings. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw a man with a staff on his back, stand up to his full height. Multiple mages? Carver thought Lirene only spoke of one healer, but it didn’t matter, they were now close enough to see who was casting the blue light. He was taller than Carver expected, and blonde, and completely engaged in the magic he was casting over the young boy laid out on the table. After a moment, the boy gasped and sat up, coughing a bit as his body registered whatever happened to him. The healer himself, staggered back, leaning against a pillar to catch his breath. Ant started to step closer as the family gathered up the boy and headed for the exit. Ant hadn’t even reached the cot before the healer whipped around, staff in hand.

“I approximate you have about two minutes to explain why you’re bringing weapons into a medical clinic before I decide I don’t really care why you’re here. There are injured and innocent here, only looking for help,” he said, trying to hide his fatigue with a sarcastic tone. Carver only heard the sound of a sword scraping against its scabbard before he realized he should have paid more attention to the other mage he saw. The other man he had seen had finally turned around, and was making his way towards the healer with a shortsword drawn and aimed in their direction.

“If you’re Carta, I’ve already made our payments for the next two months. You’d best bully somewhere else if you’re short on coin,” the man said, making a gesture with his sword to point to the door, making sure they knew exactly where he wanted them to go. Bethy had already raised her hands placatingly, and Ant stopped in his tracks, copying Bethany’s motion unknowingly.

“I’m just here to talk!” Ant said, looking at his companions to make sure none of them had drawn their weapons.

“We’re interested in getting into the Deep Roads. Rumor has it you were a Warden. Do you know a way?” Varric asked, getting to the point immediately. The two men looked between themselves wearily.

“Did the Wardens send you to bring us back? We’re not going, those bastards wanted us to get rid of our cat,” the healer said, starting to lower his staff. The other man still held his sword aloft, not lowering his guard for a second.

“Not quite what I’d lead with darling,” the other man, who must have also been a warden, said. Carver couldn’t quite figure it out, but something was familiar about this man.

“Poor Ser-Pounce-A-Lot, he hated the Deep Roads, though I’m not sure if he likes Darktown that much more,” the healer rambled. Carver couldn’t for the life of him figure out where this conversation was going.

“You had a cat named Ser-Pounce-A-Lot? In the Deep Roads?” Ant asked, Carver almost smacked his face with his palm, of course that was what Ant was interested by.

“Still have, actually. He was a gift, a noble beast indeed. Almost got ripped in half by a genlock once. He swatted the bugger on the nose. Drew blood, too.” he said, his gaze going distant as he recalled the memory. The other man rolled his eyes before returning his attention to the Hawkes and Varric.

“So you came to Kirkwall just to escape the Wardens?” Ant asked, seemingly trying to keep things casual, but if Carver knew his brother, Ant was genuinely curious.

“You say that like it’s a small thing, and not quite. Yes, we’re here because there’s no Warden outpost, no darkspawn, and a whole host of refugees to blend in with. And, some personal reasons of our own,” the healer explained. The other man shot him an annoyed look, probably because he was giving them far too much information, but clearly this healer was quite a trusting person. The look the other man gave, so fiercely reminded Carver of the very same looks his own mother gave him when he annoyed her, he couldn’t figure out how he and the healer knew each other. Or why Carver himself felt like he knew the man as well.

“I’ve always heard that joining the Wardens is for life?” Ant went on, clearly confused as to why and how they left.

“It is,” The other man said “But being a Warden is more than the bulky armor and stupid speeches about victory and death,” he had finally started to lower his sword as he spoke, but did not put it away.

“Well, it’s partly true,” the healer contradicted, “The “hopelessly tainted by darkspawn” and “plauged by nightmares about the Archdemon” parts don’t go away. But it turns out if you hide well, you don’t have to wear the uniform or go to the parties,” he said, a smirk tugging at his lips.

“Anders!” the other man admonished.

“What? You hated the nobles too, oh you mean the Warden secrets right, sorry,” Anders said, wincing at his slip up. Varric was clearly trying not to laugh at the two men, and instead coughed to get Ant’s attention back on their goal.

“Oh right! I’m part of an expedition into the Deep Roads. Any information you have could save people’s lives,” Ant said, putting emphasis on the latter half of the sentence.

“Save yourselves the trouble of going down there in the first place,” The other man said, scoffing, he ended up cocking his hips to the side, in just the same way Carver had seen Bethy do thousands of times. Anders the healer had a little chuckle at the other man’s words before finally turning to Ant, with what seemed like a serious answer on his lips.

“I will die a happy man if I never think of the blighted Deep Roads ever again. You can’t imagine what we went through to get here. I’m not interested in- Although,” he starts, looking to his partner before continuing, “A favor for a favor, does that sound like a fair deal? You help us, we help you?” he finished, looking to the other man with hope on his face. Ant started to smile, and Carver knew that they’d be knee deep in spider guts before the end of this, or somethings guts at least.

“Help my expedition reach the Deep Roads, and I’ll do whatever you need,” Ant said, signing them all to their fates of taking care of whatever these two wanted, without even asking what they needed help with, of course. The two men seemed to realize this as well, Anders’ eyebrows shooting up as the other man finally put his sword away.

“You don’t ask for my terms? What if I were asking for the knight-commander’s head on a pike?” Anders said, tossing around a hypothetical Carver prayed would never come to pass, for both Bethany and Ant’s sakes.

“Is that what you ask?” Ant asked back, sounding genuinely surprised. It took all of Carver’s strength to not strangle him right there. Anders just smirked before responding, as if imagining the sight.

“You decide,” he finally settled on, then continued “We have a Warden map of the depths in this area. But there’s a price. We came to Kirkwall to aid a friend, a mage, a prisoner in the wretched Gallows. The templars learned of my plans to free him. Help us bring him safely past them, and you shall have your maps.” Ant started nodding as if it was all done. Carver couldn’t help but speak up.

“What exactly do the templars know of your plans?” he asked, stepping forward. Anders and the other man looked at him in surprise, then answered.

“We aren’t sure, Anders had been passing letters to Karl through a maidservant in the Gallows. Then, we stopped hearing anything at all,” The other man said, looking at him approvingly.

“Tell us about your friend,” Bethany asked, speaking up at last, clearly curious about how someone seemingly from the Ferelden Grey Wardens knew someone from Kirkwall’s circle. Anders started smiling before he answered.

“His name is Karl Thekla. He was sent here from Ferelden when Kirkwall’s circle required new talent. His last letter said that the knight-commander was turning the circle into a prison” Anders said, voice dropping at the end.

“Aren’t they already prisons though?’ Bethany said in an aside to Ant. The other man caught her words however and laughed.

“You can actually see between the lines, can’t you, girl?” He asked, grinning broadly.

“My name is Bethany,” she said, and Carver could tell she wasn’t that happy with the man just calling her “girl”. Thankfully, he caught this as well, and slightly bowed his head in apology.

“We received reports of mages being locked in cells, refused appearances at court, and made Tranquil at the slightest of crimes. We can’t leave Karl in there,” he said, looking at Anders’ pained face.

“How do you plan to break him out of the Gallows?” Carver asked, already thinking about the obscene amounts of templars he saw patrolling just the other day.

“I’m hoping it won’t come to that,” Anders began. “I sent a message to Karl asking him to meet us in the Chantry tonight. Maker willing, he’ll be there, alone. But if there are templars with him, I swear, I’ll free him from them. Whatever the cost,” Antony was nodding, clearly understanding Anders’ feelings.

“I would help any fellow mage, map or no map,” Ant declared, clearly in a righteous mood. Varric starts a little at this, before clarifying for Ant.

“We still would really appreciate getting the maps though,” the dwarf said. Anders and the man just laughed in response.

**Author's Note:**

> thank you for reading!! i really wanted to keep writing this AU in order but I really don't think it's gonna happen lol cause im mainly writing notes for it during da2 and have become very invested lol


End file.
